Bangladesh: Jamaat Calls for Independent Probe into Former Air Force Officer’s Death, Questions Link to Sheikh Hasina’s Exit

Summary

A former Bangladesh Air Force flight lieutenant, Tahsin Saury, was found dead in the Turag River on Wednesday. The incident has sparked calls from Jamaat‑e‑Islami secretary‑general Mia Gulam for an independent investigation and for those responsible to be prosecuted.

Details

• Discovery: Local residents placed an emergency call after spotting a body at the Tongi‑Banda ghats area. Identification was made possible through the victim’s mobile phone and wristwatch.
• Official response: Constable Rakib told *Daily Star* that the cause of death is still unknown and will be clarified after the post‑mortem report.
• Residence: According to *Prothom Alo*, Saury lived with his family in a flat in Uttara’s Sector 18.

Alleged connection to Sheikh Hasina

• In August 2024, videos circulated showing a former prime minister Sheikh Hasina leaving Dhaka on a military aircraft. Social media posts claim Saury recorded (or helped record) a video of Hasina’s departure on 5 August 2024.
• The aircraft was a Bangladesh Air Force C‑130J Hercules (callsign AJAX1431) that reportedly landed at Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, India, before Hasina’s departure.
• Saury’s cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, posted on Facebook that the video led to harassment and ultimately his brother’s killing, asserting he only shared the clip as a civilian.

Jamaat‑e‑Islami’s statement

• Mia Gulam Porwar, former MP and current secretary‑general, expressed “deep concern and outrage” over the river recovery and called the death a “serious failure of law‑enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
• He demanded a swift, transparent, and impartial inquiry, the arrest of any perpetrators, and legal action against officials found negligent or complicit.

Practical implications

• The case highlights gaps in protection for former military personnel and raises questions about the handling of politically sensitive media.
• Verification of the claims can be done by consulting the post‑mortem report, official statements from the Bangladesh Air Force, and independent news outlets covering the investigation.

Next steps

• Authorities are expected to release the autopsy findings within days.
• Jamaat‑e‑Islami has pledged to monitor the investigation and will seek judicial oversight if progress stalls.

--- *All information is drawn from local Bangladeshi media reports; no independent verification of the alleged video link to Sheikh Hasina has been confirmed.*